I’m starting a new series here where I’ll post short, 30-second reviews of titles I don’t have time to cover in-depth. Here’s the first batch of reviews:
Doctors of the Church
Pope Benedict XVI
When I first heard that the Church calls certain people “Doctors”, I thought it was really strange. “Why should we focus on saintly medical experts?” I wondered.
It wasn’t until a couple years ago that I discovered ‘Doctor’ was actually an honorary title given to certain saints who have particularly influenced the mind of the Church. According to Cardinal Francis George, “Doctors are saints and teachers, synthesizing both callings in a way that has enriched the Church over centuries.”
In a new collection of talks titled Doctors of the Church (Our Sunday Visitor, hardcover, 269 pages), Pope Benedict XVI presents calm and clear introductions to these brilliant men and women. Each Doctor gets one chapter, with a few minor exceptions: the Church’s two great giants, St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas, get five and three chapters respectively. Mysteriously, St. Peter Chrysologus is missing from the collection along with St. John of Avila, the Church’s newest Doctor who Pope Benedict just added to the ranks this past August.
In typical fashion, Pope Benedict’s book follows a clear, consistent format. He offers a brief biographical sketch in each chapter, situating the Doctors in their unique social and intellectual climates, and then summarizes their major writings and teachings. He then concludes each reflection with a splendid, well-crafted prayer to each Doctor.
With this style the book is more “spiritual biography” than “historical biography.” It doesn’t offer exhaustive accounts of any single Doctor but provides spiritual samples from each of them. If you’re looking for more in-depth coverage of the Doctors, my two favorite books are the comprehensive, 700-page 33 Doctors of the Church by Fr. Christopher Rengers and the much simpler, much slimmer Doctors of the Church by Bernard McGinn.
When compared to those other volumes, though, Pope Benedict’s book is unique in that it’s a book on the Doctors written by a man who just may join their ranks himself. For that reason alone it’s a worthy read.
A Biblical Walk Through the Mass
Dr. Edward Sri
In just a couple of weeks the Mass is going to change significantly. The rites, the prayers, the songs, and even some of the feast days will be shifting due to a new translation of the liturgy.
Many people have already offered criticized the changes, but one upside is that they will undoubtedly force people toward a deeper reflection on the Mass.
A Biblical Walk Through the Mass (Ascension Press, paperback, 157 pages) by Dr. Edward Sri is a new book that offers even more help with this. Sri’s main goal is to show how the Mass is centered around the Bible, and he does this expertly. He presents a study of its Scriptural roots and reveals the biblical foundations for both the words and gestures of the entire liturgy.
What’s great is that the book is also based on the new translation of the liturgy and is structured just like the Mass. It begins by exploring the Introductory Rites, then moves to the Liturgy of the Word, the Liturgy of the Eucharist, and finally to the Concluding Rites.
If you’re wondering why we say and do certain things during the liturgy or want to understand the new liturgical changes, this book will certainly help.
A Guide to the New Translation of the Mass
Dr. Edward Sri
This short pamphlet is a handy companion to the book above, a much briefer, to-the-point handbook. It’s short (about 20 pages), cheap ($1.95), and it not only lists the new changes to the liturgy but explains the ‘why’ behind each one as well.
Sri wrote his Guide to the New Translation of the Mass (Ascension Press) in question-and-answer format and includes many of the most common inquiries: Why do we need a new translation? What are some of the benefits of the new translation? Why did “we believe” change to “I believe”?
The thin book also includes a great fold-out chart highlighting each of the new prayers and responses for us people in the pew. Since it includes everything in one easy-to-reference place, the pamphlet is a valuable tool that you can tear out and bring to Mass as you’re getting familiar with the new language.
If you want to a deeper look at the Mass and it’s Scriptural roots, go with Sri’s A Biblical Walk Through the Mass. But if you just want a short guide to the upcoming changes in the liturgy, this is the one you want.